Zhao Yongjin, Party chief of Qinyuan county in Changzhi, Shanxi province, is under investigation following a deadly coal mine gas explosion that killed 82 people and left two others missing, local anti-graft authorities said on Tuesday.

Zhao is suspected of serious violations of Party discipline and law and is being investigated by the Shanxi Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and the provincial supervisory commission, according to a statement released on the commission's official WeChat account on June 2.

Zhao, 52, a native of Changzhi, began working in 1993 and joined the Communist Party of China in 1995. He has spent most of his career in Changzhi and became Party chief of Qinyuan county in 2021.

The investigation came after a gas explosion occurred underground at the Liushenyu Coal Mine, operated by Shanxi Tongzhou Group, in Qinyuan at about 7:29 pm on May 22.

According to a news conference held by Changzhi authorities on May 23, the accident killed 82 people, left two others missing and injured 128, all of whom were hospitalized.

A preliminary investigation found multiple major violations of workplace safety laws and regulations at the mine. The company's principal executives have been placed under police control for further investigation.

The State Council has established an investigation team to examine the accident. The team is led by the Ministry of Emergency Management and includes representatives from the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the National Energy Administration, the National Mine Safety Administration and the Shanxi provincial government.

At its first plenary meeting on May 27, the team was instructed to conduct a rigorous and uncompromising investigation, determine the cause of the accident and clarify responsibilities in local governance, industry oversight and enterprise operations. Those found responsible will be severely punished in accordance with laws and regulations.

On May 25, the Supreme People's Procuratorate also announced that it would supervise the handling of the major liability accident case involving the Qinyuan coal mine explosion.